Willie Nelson… The man, the myth, the legend

Yes, Willie Nelson is coming to the Show Me Center on Sunday. Unfortunately, the old man of country music doesn't do telephone interviews.

So here are some facts about the singer to get the juices flowing before Sunday's performance:

* Nelson was one of the founders of the Farm Aid concerts that were devised to shed light on the plight of American family farmers and provide them financial assistance. This year the festival celebrated its 20th anniversary.

* In July Nelson opened a biodiesel truck stop in Carl's Corner, Texas. He has a company called Willie Nelson's Biodiesel that seeks to increase awareness and use of biodiesel as a way to improve air quality and find new uses for farm products. Both Nelson and Neil Young use biodiesel in their tour buses and personal vehicles.

* One of Nelson's newest albums, 2005's "Countryman," mixes the sounds of Jamaican reggae music and traditional country to create a new sound. It also has a pot leaf on the cover.

* Speaking of marijuana, Nelson introduced himself to a young counterculture generation with a cameo spot in the 1998 movie "Half Baked," starring Dave Chappelle. Nelson played himself, telling Chappelle a nostalgic story of the days when a dimebag cost a dime.

* Nelson is famous for his battle with the IRS in the late 1980s that left him millions of dollars in debt to the federal government. He paid off the debt in part with proceeds from a double album titled "The IRS Tapes."

* Nelson was raised by his paternal grandparents after his father died and mother ran off when he was young. The grandparents encouraged Willie and sister Bobbie to play instruments.

* Nelson was fascinated by big band music and Frank Sinatra at a young age. His first gig was playing at a dance at age 10.

* He had his own radio show on a local Texas station by the time he graduated high school.

* Nelson wrote the Patsy Cline hit "Crazy."

* Nelson's 1978 album "Stardust" (featuring his recording of "Georgia on my Mind") logged in 551 weeks on Billboard's country and western chart. It's the second longest stint on the chart by any record, falling behind "Dark Side of the Moon's" 741 weeks.

* The singer had decided to retire from country music in 1972, until he moved from Nashville to Austin, Texas and failed in pig farming. Once in Austin, Nelson saw that many young rock fans were also listening to country music and began performing again, cultivating the country outlaw image.